Oasis

Artist Image: Oasis
Attribution
Image Credit: Will Fresch (originally posted to Flickr as oasis.gallagher.bros.002), CC BY-SA 2.0

Biography

Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher (vocals and tambourine), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitar), Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan (bass guitar) and Tony McCarroll (drums, percussion), who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher (lead guitar and vocals). They have had eight UK number-one singles and eight UK number-one albums, and won fifteen NME Awards, nine Q Awards, four MTV Europe Music Awards and six Brit Awards, including one in 2007 for outstanding contribution to music and one for the best album of the last 30 years as voted by the BBC Radio 2 listeners; they have been nominated for three Grammy Awards. As of 2009, the band have sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide. The band were listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 for "Longest Top 10 UK Chart Run by a Group" after an unprecedented run of 22 top 10 hits in the UK. The band also holds the Guinness World Record for being the most successful act in the UK between the years 1995 and 2005, spending 765 weeks in the Top 75 singles and albums charts. Its members were signed to independent record label Creation Records and afterwards released their record-setting debut album Definitely Maybe in 1994. The following year, the band recorded (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) with their new drummer Alan White in the midst of rivalry with Britpop peers Blur in the charts. The Gallagher brothers featured regularly in tabloid newspapers for their sibling disputes and wild lifestyles. In 1997, Oasis released their third album, Be Here Now, and although it became the fastest-selling album in UK chart history, the album's popularity tapered off quickly. The band lost members Paul McGuigan and Paul Arthurs as they went on to record and release Standing on the Shoulder of Giants in 2000 and were replaced by Gem Archer and Andy Bell who joined the group for the tour in support of Giants. The band found renewed success and popularity starting with 2005's Don't Believe the Truth. In August 2009, Noel Gallagher announced his departure from the band after a backstage altercation with Liam before a festival appearance. The band, comprising the remaining members of Oasis and led by Liam Gallagher, decided to continue working together under the name Beady Eye, while Noel went on to form his solo project Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Oasis evolved from an earlier band called The Rain, composed of Paul McGuigan (bass guitar), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitar), Tony McCarroll (drums) and Chris Hutton (vocals). Unsatisfied with Hutton, Arthurs auditioned acquaintance Liam Gallagher as a replacement. Liam suggested that the band name be changed to Oasis. This change was inspired by an Inspiral Carpets tour poster that hung in the Gallagher brothers' bedroom. One of the venues the poster listed was the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon, Wiltshire. Oasis played their first ever live gig on 18 August 1991 at the Boardwalk club in Manchester. Liam's brother Noel Gallagher, who was a roadie for Inspiral Carpets, went with the band to watch his younger brother's band play. Whilst Noel and his friends did not think Oasis sounded particularly spectacular, he did begin to consider the possibility of using his brother's group as a possible outlet for a series of songs he'd been writing for several years. Noel approached the group about joining with the proviso that he would become the band's sole songwriter and leader, and that they would commit to an earnest pursuit of commercial success. "He had loads of stuff written," Arthurs recalled. "When he walked in, we were a band making a racket with four tunes. All of a sudden, there were loads of ideas." Oasis under Noel Gallagher crafted a musical approach that relied on simplicity, with Arthurs and McGuigan restricted to playing barred chords and root bass notes; McCarroll playing basic rhythms, and the band's amplifiers turned up to create distortion, Oasis created a sound "so devoid of finesse and complexity that it came out sounding pretty much unstoppable." After over a year of live shows, rehearsals and a recording of a proper demo (known as the Live Demonstration tape), the band's big break came in May 1993 when they were spotted by Creation Records co-owner Alan McGee. Oasis were invited to play a gig at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut club in Glasgow, Scotland, by a band called Sister Lovers, who shared their rehearsal rooms. Oasis, along with a group of friends, found the money to hire a van and make the journey to Glasgow. When they arrived, they were refused entry to the club as they were not on that night's set list, which reportedly caused the band to bully their way in (although both the band and McGee have given contradicting statements about how they actually managed to get into the club on that night). They were given the opening slot and impressed McGee, who was there to see 18 Wheeler, one of his own bands, that night. McGee was so impressed by what he saw he signed the band to Creation four days later. Due to problems securing an American contract, Oasis ended up signing a worldwide contract with Sony, which in turn licensed Oasis to Creation in the UK. Following a limited white label release of the demo of their song "Columbia", their first single, "Supersonic", was released in April 1994, reaching number 31 in the charts. The release was followed by "Shakermaker". This song would become the subject of a plagiarism suit, with Oasis paying $500,000 in damages. Their third single, "Live Forever", was their first to enter the top ten of the UK charts. After troubled recording and mixing sessions, their debut album, Definitely Maybe, was released in September 1994, entering the charts at number one, and at the time becoming the fastest selling debut album in the UK. The best part of a year of constant live performances and recordings, along with a hedonistic lifestyle, were taking their toll on the band. This behaviour culminated during a gig in Los Angeles in September 1994 where Liam was under the influence of crystal meth, leading to an inept performance during which he made offensive remarks about American audiences and assaulted Noel with a tambourine. The incident upset Noel to such an extent that he temporarily quit the band immediately after and flew to San Francisco (it was from this incident that the song "Talk Tonight" was written). He was tracked down by Creation's Tim Abbot and they made a trip to Las Vegas. Once there, Gallagher was persuaded to continue with the band. He reconciled with his brother and the tour resumed in Minneapolis. The group followed up the fourth single from Definitely Maybe, "Cigarettes & Alcohol", with the Christmas single "Whatever", which entered the British charts at number three. This song would later carry a co-writer's credit for Neil Innes, who sued and also won damages.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1991
Number of Albums 47
Record Label Epic
Website www.oasisinet.com
Wikipedia Oasis on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

In what city was Oasis formed in 1991?

Manchester

...Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. They were originally known as the Rain before evolving into Oasis. The group initially c...
What was the original name of the band that formed in Manchester?

the Rain

... rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. They were originally known as the Rain before evolving into Oasis. The group initially consisted of Liam Gall...
Who was the lead vocalist of the group?

Liam Gallagher

...e Rain before evolving into Oasis. The group initially consisted of Liam Gallagher (lead vocals, tambourine), Paul Arthurs (guitar), Paul McGuigan (ba...
In addition to the vocals, what was Paul Arthurs' main instrument?

guitar

...ly consisted of Liam Gallagher (lead vocals, tambourine), Paul Arthurs ( guitar ), Paul McGuigan (bass guitar) and Tony McCarroll (drums). During the co...
Who plays the drums for Oasis?

Tony McCarroll

...tambourine), Paul Arthurs (guitar), Paul McGuigan (bass guitar) and Tony McCarroll (drums). During the course of their existence, they had various lin...
What was the name of the album released in 1994?

Definitely Maybe

...ation Records in 1993 and released their recordsetting debut album Definitely Maybe (1994). The following year they recorded (What's the Story) Mornin...
In what year did the band release Definitely Maybe?

1994

...s in 1993 and released their recordsetting debut album Definitely Maybe ( 1994 ). The following year they recorded (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Spe...
Who featured regularly in tabloid newspapers for their disputes and wild lifestyle?

The Gallagher brothers

... in the UK and the biggestselling album in the UK of the 1990s. The Gallagher brothers featured regularly in tabloid newspapers for their disputes and...
How many nights did Oasis perform at Knebworth in 1996?

two

...wspapers for their disputes and wild lifestyles. In 1996, Oasis performed two nights at Knebworth for an audience of 125,000 each time, the largest ou...
What year did Oasis form?

1991

...Oasis (formed 1991 ) Oasis is a British rock band, from Manchester. The Formation: Oasis came into being from the remnants of a previous band, The Rain...
Who was the lead singer of Guigsy?

Paul McGuigan

...rom the remnants of a previous band, The Rain. The Rain consisted of Paul McGuigan (Guigsy), Warren Mackenzie, Paul Arthurs (Bonehead), Tony McCarroll...
What was the name of Liam's brother?

Noel

...by an Inspiral carpets poster hanging in Liam's bedroom. Liam's brother, Noel (a roadie for Inspiral Carpets at the time) attended the gig and approac...
What was the name of the band's first single?

Supersonic

... their song 'Columbia' was released, followed by their first single, ' Supersonic ', which was released in April 1994 and reached number 31 in the UK ch...
When was the single 'Supersonic' released?

April 1994

..., followed by their first single, 'Supersonic', which was released in April 1994 and reached number 31 in the UK charts. The next single was 'Shakerma...
Who is the lead guitarist and musical director of Oasis?

Noel Gallagher

..., please see the bottom of this page on how to submit Oasis lyrics. Noel Gallagher , lead guitarist, songwriter and musical director of the English ban...
What was the name of the song he learned from the Beatles?

Ticket to Ride

... iconoclasm all melded in his mind. He received his first guitar at age 13 and learned the Beatles' Ticket to Ride ; soon he was writing his own songs....
How old was he when he first received his first instrument?

13

...ng iconoclasm all melded in his mind. He received his first guitar at age 13 and learned the Beatles' Ticket to Ride; soon he was writing his own song...
What label did Oasis sign to in 1993?

Creation Records

...ed as the staple members. Oasis signed to independent record label Creation Records in 1993 and released their recordsetting debut album Definitely Ma...
In what year did Oasis perform two nights at Knebworth?

1996

...gularly in tabloid newspapers for their disputes and wild lifestyles. In 1996 , Oasis performed two nights at Knebworth for an audience of 125,000 each...
Who were the Gallagher brothers known for in tabloid newspapers in the 1990s?

their disputes and wild lifestyles

...her brothers featured regularly in tabloid newspapers for their disputes and wild lifestyles . In 1996, Oasis performed two nights at Knebworth for an ...
What was the band's style of music in the early 1990s?

traditional British rock and roll

...e group shot to stardom in the early 1990s with a brand of traditional British rock and roll that had, for a number of years, been replaced with hazy ...
What was Noel's job title?

guitar technician

...oel Gallagher, who had recently returned from touring America as a guitar technician for the Inspiral Carpets, came to watch his younger brother play....
Who signed Oasis to Creation Records in 1993?

Alan McGee

...ter gig circuit, Oasis were signed to Creation Records by label owner Alan McGee in 1993. Following a limited white label release of the song 'Columbi...
Morning Glory served as the breakthrough album that made Oasis international superstars?

Morning Glory

... its predecssor was hailed by many as having ressurected guitar pop, Morning Glory served as the breakthrough album that made Oasis international supe...
What year was (Whats the Story) Morning Glory recorded?

1995

...1994). The following year they recorded (Whats the Story) Morning Glory ( 1995 ) with drummer Alan White, in the midst of a chart rivalry with Britpop p...
How many weeks did Whatsthe Story spend at number one on UK Albums Chart?

ten

... White, in the midst of a chart rivalry with Britpop peers Blur. Spending ten weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart, (Whats the Story) Morning Gl...
How many people attended the two-night show in 1996?

125,000

...es. In 1996, Oasis performed two nights at Knebworth for an audience of 125,000 each night, the largest outdoor concerts in UK history at the time. In...
What was the name of the band's third album?

Be Here Now

...oor concerts in UK history at the time. In 1997, Oasis released their third album, Be Here Now ; becoming the fastestselling album in UK chart history....
What instrument does Paul McGuigan play?

bass

... Liam Gallagher (vocals), Paul Bonehead Arthurs (guitar), Paul McGuigan ( bass ), and Tony McCaroll (drums). After spending several years as the guitar ...
What was the original name of Oasis?

Rain

...Happy Mondays. Oasis had an uncertain start; they were originally called Rain , a reference to a Beatles song, and were then renamed for a little known...
Who was the younger Gallagher brother?

Liam

...Guigan, Paul Arthurs, Tony McCarroll, and the younger Gallagher brother, Liam . He saw his brother's band play and was far from impressed. Invited to m...
What was his younger brother Liam's profession?

singer

...er and guitarist Noel Gallagher and his younger brother Liam, who was a singer . In the early 90s, they formed the band with guitarist Paul Arthurs, dr...
Who was the drummer on Morning Glory?

Alan White

...me, though, Morning Glory hinted at later lineup shuffles, as drummer Alan White took over for Tony McCarroll before the album was recorded. Victims o...
What was Be Here Now perceived as?

overindulgent and a commercial letdown

...album was a louder, bigger effort. Largely perceived as overindulgent and a commercial letdown , Be Here Now couldnt live up to the legacy of Oasis ear...